1991
GRAY, George
| Service Number: | 7007 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 27 September 1916 |
| Last Rank: | Private |
| Last Unit: | 6th Infantry Battalion |
| Born: | South Preston, Victoria, Australia, 29 April 1886 |
| Home Town: | Preston, Darebin, Victoria |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Railway Platelayer & Fettler |
| Died: | Myocardial Degeneration, Port Augusta, South Australia, 5 July 1944, aged 58 years |
| Cemetery: |
Port Augusta Carlton Parade Cemetery Un-Leased, Block 110, Plot 13 |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 27 Sep 1916: | Enlisted AIF WW1, 7007, 6th Infantry Battalion | |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Nov 1916: | Involvement Private, 7007, 6th Infantry Battalion, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '8' embarkation_place: Melbourne embarkation_ship: HMAT Hororata embarkation_ship_number: A20 public_note: '' | |
| 23 Nov 1916: | Embarked Private, 7007, 6th Infantry Battalion, HMAT Hororata, Melbourne | |
| 11 Nov 1918: | Involvement Private, 7007 | |
| 14 Apr 1919: | Discharged AIF WW1, 7007, 6th Infantry Battalion |
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Add my storyBiography contributed by Paul Lemar
George Leslie GRAY was the son of George William GRAY (1863 – 11.10.1921) & Martha BROWN (1855 – 21.11.1937) and was born on the 29th of April 1886 in Raglan Street, South Preston, Victoria.
George was known to his friends as “Dolly”.
His parents married in 1883 in Preston, Victoria
His father was the son of David GRAY & Mary Ann ROBINSON and was born in 1863 in Daylesford, Victoria.
His mother was the daughter of Robert BROWN & Jane MCGUIGAN and was in 1855 in Whittlesea, Victoria.
George was the 2nd child born into this family of 6 children.
His father was an officer of the Metropolitan Board of Works and they lived in Seymour Street, South Preston.
George gained his first little brother in October 1887, but sadly he died at 9 months of age in June 1888 and they buried him in the Strathallan Cemetery, Darebin Creek.
On leaving school he became a railway platelayer and by March 1915 he was living in Wagin, Western Australia when he originally applied to enlist into the AIF at Blackboy Hill Camp.
He then moved back to Victoria and was living with his parents at 15 Clifton Grove, South Preston.
At the age of 30, George enlisted into the AIF on the 27th of September 1916 in Melbourne and was allotted the service number 7007 and posted to the 21st Depot Battalion in Royal Park Camp. He was then transferred to the 6th Battalion, 23rd Reinforcements.
George embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A20 Hororata on the 23rd of November 1916, disembarking in Plymouth on the 29th of January 1917.
He served in Belgium and France and after being wounded he embarked for Australia on the 4th of January 1919 on board HMAT Morvada, disembarking in Melbourne on the 27th of February.
George was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 14th of April 1919 and awarded the British War and Victory medal.
His mother died in 1937 and at the time George was a librarian at the Preston Public Library.
The following year George gained employment as a railway Fettler with the Commonwealth Railways and was transferred to 397 Mile Camp at Mt Christie, about 136 kilometres North West of Tarcoola.
He became one of the best known and respected men on the Transcontinental Railway. In his capacity of a quarryman and expert with explosives, he was held in high esteem by the railways and he joined the Pt Augusts RSL Sub-Branch.
In April 1944, due to ill health, George found it necessary to move to Pt Augusta to receive treatment for heart trouble.
Whilst in town he resided in the Augusta Hotel, Port Augusta West.
On Wednesday morning, the 5th of July 1944 George was found dead in his bed, with the cause of death being Myocardial Degeneration.
His funeral left the Augusta Hotel the following afternoon and the arrangements were in the hands of the local sub-branch.
Rev. R.F Steele conducted the service at the grave side and there was a large attendance of ex-service men and other friends at the funeral.
The pallbearers were two soldiers of the last war, two soldiers of this war, a member of the local branch of the Buffalo Lodge and a representative of the Australian Natives' Association.
At the conclusion of the service, the pledge of remembrance was given by the president of the local RSL sub-branch (Mr. H. T. (Monty) Luke.
He was buried in the Pt Augusta Cemetery; Un-Leased, Block 110, Plot 13.
Military
At the age of 30, George enlisted into the AIF on the 27th of September 1916 in Melbourne and was allotted the service number 7007 and posted to the 21st Depot Battalion in Royal Park Camp.
He listed his father, of 15 Clifton Grove, South Preston as his next of kin.
On the 14th of November he was transferred to the 6th Battalion, 23rd Reinforcements.
George embarked from Melbourne on board HMAT A20 Hororata on the 23rd of November 1916. He spent Christmas Day on board the ship before disembarking in Plymouth on the 29th of January 1917 and marching into the 2nd Training Battalion in Durrington, the following day.
On the 25th of April he proceeded to France and marched into the 1st Australian Base Depot in Etaples, before joining his Battalion who were in camp near Beugnatre.
He was taken on strength from the Reinforcements on the 12th of May and by the 21st they had moved to Ovillers via Bapaume and Le Sars.
The following day they moved to billets at Baizieux via Albert and Henencourt and underwent further training.
On the 18th of June they moved into the Mailly area for ten days before returning to Baizieux.
They moved to Bray, via Ribemount & Meaulte on the 13th of July and then to Pozieres by the 21st.
Whilst at Pozieres on the 21st, Lt Colonel C W DALY DSO unveiled the cross which had been erected to the memory of “those of the sixth Battalion AIF”, who had fallen during the Battle of the Somme 1916 – 1917.
By the end of July they had moved onto Cassel and on the 8th of August they had moved into the Le Verrier Area via Hondeghem, Hazebrouck, Lamotte and Vieux Berquin.
On the 13th of September they moved to Berthen, then onto Reninghest the following day and then to Chateau Segard where they bivouacked for the night and were shelled by the enemy.
On the 17th they moved to the Zillebeke Bund dugouts and relieved the 8th Post Office Rifles, London Regiment in preparation for the attack near Leinster Farm on the 20th.
The following day George suffered from an Inguinal Hernia and was admitted into the 6th Australian Field Ambulance at Coubronne, then transferred to the 3rd Canadian Casualty Clearing Station at Remy, before being transferred by Ambulance Train and admitted into the 16th General Hospital in Le Treport on the 22nd.
After three weeks he was discharged from hospital on the 14th of October and reported to No.3 Command Depot in Hurdcott and then discharged to base detail to duty five days later.
In early November George proceeded back to France and rejoined his Battalion on the 3rd in the Chateau Belge Area (east of Kruisstraat).
The following week they moved to Ouderdom and two days later they moved to Wardrecques for two days.
They then moved to Remilly-Wirquin on the 14th of November and onto Senlecques the following day, before moving to Desvres on the 17th.
Whilst here, George suffered with his Hernia again and was admitted into the 2nd Australian Field Ambulance at Wirwignes on the 21st and then into the 3rd Canadian General Hospital in Boulogne-sur-Mer.
Two days later he was transferred to the 25th General Hospital in Etaples, where he spent Christmas Day 1917 before being discharged to the No.1 Command Depot on the 22nd of January.
His groin began to swell again from the Hernia and he was transferred straight back into the 25th General Hospital the following day.
After five more weeks in hospital George embarked for England on the 9th of March and was admitted into the General Military Hospital in Edmonton for four days before being transferred to the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Dartford
He was discharged from the hospital on the 18th of March and granted 2 weeks furlough before reposting to No.4 Command Depot in Hurdcott on the 1st of April.
He was then transferred to the Overseas Training Brigade in Longbridge Deverill on the 22nd of May and proceeded back to France on the 19th of June, reporting in at Le Havre.
Eight days later he rejoined his Battalion in the trenches near Rouge Croix and they then moved Merris in the front line on the 7th of July.
After ten days they were relieved and moved to Racquinghem and went into rest and training and then by the 1st of August they were at Pradelles in the support line.
On the 2nd of August they were relieved by the Lancashire Fusiliers and moved into their billets at Hazebrouck the following day.
Two days later they moved to Blaringhem and then entrained from Wizernes Station to Pont Remy and marched to Ailly-le-haut-Clocher.
They were then bussed to No.7 POW Camp and then in the trenches at Querrieu the following day and they were then in action in Aubigny, near Corbie.
Whilst here, George suffered a Gun Shot Wound to his right thigh on the 10th of August and was admitted into the 8th Australian Field Ambulance and then onto the 61st Casualty Clearing Station at Vignacourt.
The following day he was admitted into the 55th General Hospital in Wimereux and then evacuated to England on board HS St Denis on the 23rd and admitted into the 1st Southern General Hospital, Dudley Road, Birmingham.
On the 4th of October he was transferred to 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital in Harefield and after 2 weeks here he was discharged to No.2 Command Depot in Weymouth on the 21st of October.
George embarked for Australia on the 4th of January 1919 on board HMAT Morvada, disembarking in Colombo, where he went AWOL.
He then embarked from Colombo on board HMAT Orsova, disembarking in Melbourne on the 27th of February.
George was discharged, medically unfit, from the AIF on the 14th of April 1919 and awarded the British War and Victory medal.